


Blue Skies and Third Eyes

by antonzaleski



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: M/M, Pappy is down, Rudy brings him up, fluff with a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 14:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14522214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antonzaleski/pseuds/antonzaleski
Summary: A prompt from pappysmoustache on tumblr: "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."





	Blue Skies and Third Eyes

Rudy stretched his arms skyward, eyes closed and breathing deeply. He brought his hands back down and pressed them together lightly, as if in feather-soft prayer. He had a fixed, serene smile, one that Pappy found himself mirroring as he watched the brunet move, though he wasn’t entirely sure _what_ he was trying to do. Maybe it was some kind of yoga? Trying to improve his..chi? There were so many health-nut buzzwords Rudy used, Pappy had trouble keeping up sometimes, although he did try his darndest. 

“The sky looks nice today, doesn’t it, Pap?” 

He nodded up at the big blue yonder, eyes squinting a bit at the midday sun. It amazed him how Rudy could still be.. _Rudy_ , even through combat. He envied the man and his ability to center himself, and not focus on the here-and-now for more than a few seconds. Pappy’s mind was too-often worried about, well, just about everything, something that didn’t start after he’d joined the USMC. His mother would always tell him he ‘was gonna get premature wrinkles if he kept frownin’ like that.’ He wasn’t depressed or anything, his mind was just too sharp for its own good, and made him dream up any and all possibilities for something going wrong. Having a high IQ could be a goddamned curse. 

Honestly? Maybe he was a little depressed. I mean, yeah, he was smart, but that was just about all he had to offer in the way of a romantic affair. Looks-wise? He was about as average as they come. Although the mustache didn’t go over too well, he felt it at least added something to his face. Now he was just ordinary and unattractive. He didn’t have a damn thing worth noticing, not by Rudy’s standards, especially. The man was a god; he didn’t stand a chance of getting more than a camaraderie out of him, and even that felt like a miracle. Rudy was just out of his league, plain and simple.

Rudy’s eyebrows sprung up a bit, his mouth turning upward at one corner. “You’ve got a lot on your mind, Sergeant Patrick. What’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

Pappy chuckled, eyes widening. “Just a lot of bullshit, I guess.”

A hand rested on Pappy’s shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. “You know you can talk to me, about anything at all. I’m here to listen, brother.”

He looked down for a second, then pulled back up to Rudy’s friendly gaze. 

“I’m not feelin’ particularly fantastic about myself, Rude. Feelin’ like shit, if I’m bein’ honest.”

Rudy lurched back, hand over his chest like Pappy just insulted his mother. His eyebrows knitted as his gave Pappy a once-over. “Why would you ever feel bad about yourself, brother? You’ve got so much good in you; you’re a great friend, you’ve got a sharp mind, you’re kicking ass out here..what is it you’re feeling so down about, Paps?”

His line-of-vision shot down to his boots, suddenly embarrassed. He wasn’t expecting the barrage of compliments, even as nice as Rudy usually is. 

“Rudy, I…I’m ugly,” he mumbled, more to his shoes than his companion.

“Larry Shawn Patrick, you _did not_ just use that word.”

Pappy’s eyes were suddenly like saucers, locked with Rudy’s own. He’d never once heard the man use that tone, but it sure caught his attention. He visibly gulped, waiting for the inevitable chewing out.

“Pappy…listen to me, brother. You are _not_ ugly. You’re handsome, and sweet. You’ve got beautiful eyes, and when I get to see it, a smile that makes my heart race. I mean this, you know I mean it! Where did you get an idea like that, you being ugly? That shit is unbelievable, Paps!”

Pappy bit his lip, and started to laugh despite himself. He looked into Rudy’s eyes, his own watering a bit. “You know, you’re sweet,” he managed. 

The space between them was nearly non-existent then, Rudy cupping his cheek with one hand. His gaze was soft, caring, and something else Pappy was beginning to identify. “Paps, I’m spilling my heart out, brother. This is not lip service, I mean every word I’m saying. I love you, you know that. I love you like crazy. I just wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

A tear let itself slide down Pappy’s cheek as he licked his arid lips and attempted to swallow down the lump in his throat.

“Rudy, I’m crazy about you,” he breathed out all at once, like it had been trapped behind his lips the entire conversation. 

Rudy was grinning now, an expression that seemed to take up his entire body, his eyes twinkling brighter than the sun above them. 

“Well, it’s a good thing then, Paps. What would I do with all this love for you if I had to return it? I already lost the receipt!”

They stood there together against the Humvee, giggling like schoolgirls, and connected at the heart.


End file.
